Corrupt Merchant Association
The representative of the merchant association we visited was completely different from the image we had heard from Chief Ganun beforehand.
"Hah! We don’t have a place for the filthy produce brought by country bumpkins like you! Take your cargo and get lost!"
"W-Wait! This isn’t what we were told!"
Reskel protested, unwilling to back down.
Neither the other villagers nor I could accept this situation.
We had done business with them for years—why the sudden change in attitude?
As I pondered this, my eyes landed on a sign inside the store.
"Eigenberg Merchant Association…?"
That’s strange.
If I recall correctly, the villagers had always worked with the Dresslaw Merchant Association, a long-established business that had been in Gracela for over a hundred years.
Thinking we might have mistaken the location, I was about to inform Reskel when—
"Now that I think about it, we did get a letter from some village called Curtis a few days ago… Ah, I see. You’re the ones that old geezer from Dresslaw was dealing with."
"W-What do you mean!? Isn’t this the Dresslaw Merchant Association!?"
"That place went under a long time ago. To be precise, we bought it out."
"B-Bought out!?"
The shocking revelation left us stunned.
"That can’t be… the Dresslaw Merchant Association is gone…?”
"That old man had outdated ideals. Business these days isn’t about honor or relationships—it’s about profit, and nothing else."
"Ugh…"
Reskel, overwhelmed, collapsed to his knees.
The other villagers were equally lost, unsure how to respond.
"Now that you understand, hurry up and get lost. You’re an eyesore."
"B-But if we don’t sell those vegetables, our villagers won’t have any income!"
"Like I care about your problems. Looks like you even brought a knight along for protection, but tough luck."
At that moment, the merchant representative’s gaze shifted to me.
"A knight assigned to some no-name rural village? That must mean you either screwed up big time somewhere or you’re just a lazy bum, huh? Quit standing around and take these fools back where they came from."
… He’s really saying whatever he wants.
But there’s no way I can just walk away from this.
Those vegetables were grown with care by the people of Curtis Village. Even if the merchant association we dealt with was gone, we couldn’t just give up so easily.
Besides… there was something else off about this place.
"Hurry up! Unlike you broke country hicks, we’ve got work to do!"
"Let me guess—you’re making an illegal fortune by trading banned weapons."
"…!?"
As soon as I said that, the face of the Eigenberg Merchant Association representative changed completely.
"Where’s your proof?"
He tried to act composed, but I could see the unease in his expression.
In response, I stomped my foot where I stood.
"The floor sounds different here. There’s probably a storage space underneath. When your clients arrive, you retrieve the goods from below and hand them over. Since leading them to a backroom would be too suspicious, you make it seem like you’re just handing over merchandise from the storefront. It’s clever, and clearly well-practiced. Let me guess—did you get caught doing the same thing in another country and ended up exiled?"
"Wha—!?"
The Eigenberg Merchant Association representative visibly panicked.
Yeah, this was a common scheme.
Several businesses in the royal capital had already been exposed for the same thing.
—And as soon as I pointed it out, a group of burly men armed with weapons emerged from the back of the store.
What do you think about this chapter?
Thanks for the chapters